The Lord sees clearly the worldliness, the filthy moral nature, the stubbornness and self-will of the believer. The adamic nature of human beings is a satanic monster compared with the holiness and purity of Christ.

The tremendous love of God moves in Jesus toward His Bride. Jesus embraces the unclean one and proceeds to make the sinner an eternal part of Himself. Because of the completeness of the atonement made by the Lord, the Father now considers the person to be righteous—as though he or she had perfectly fulfilled the Law of Moses. He is righteous with the righteousness of Jesus Himself. The Lord breathes eternal life into the new member of the Kingdom of God. He is born again of the Spirit of God.

The current teaching is that salvation has been completed at this point. This is not true. The Divine redemption does not end here; rather, it begins when we are born again and receive the righteousness of Christ.

The Lord Jesus is not destined to have a worldly bride filled with moral filthiness and stubborn self-love. His eternal complement will be without spot, wrinkle, blemish, or any defect whatever. Because the members of the Bride of the Lamb are in the Lord's embrace, all of their blemishes are His blemishes. Their defects are now His defects. In this limited but significant sense, God has become blemished.

As the new Christian abides in Christ—and only as he abides in Christ—God proceeds to cleanse Himself by cleansing the individual who is in the Divine embrace. The Holy Spirit of God enables the believer to wash his robes and make them white in the blood of the Lamb.

The Christian must confess his sins as the Lord points them out. He must continue to abide in the Lord and obey Him in every detail. As he does, the Spirit brings the believer through experiences that crucify the adamic nature.

During the process of sanctification the blood atonement continues to cover the unreconciled aspects of the disciples personality, meaning that God sees the righteousness of Christ rather than the sin and rebellion that are present.

How does the Lord become the individual's righteousness?

By covering him with the Lord's own righteousness—the imputation (assignment) of righteousness to the unrighteous—on the basis of the blood of Calvary.

By Israelites from him every aspect of sin and rebellion and keeping it out of his personality.

By renewing his mind through the Scriptures, and by teaching him through gifted people and through the experiences of life.

By transforming every aspect of his personality and behavior. This is accomplished as the Lord infuses the person with the Lord's own Substance and Virtue, resulting in a change in the believer's personality. The old personality dies and is replaced by the new.

By marrying him, entering union with him, with the result that guiltlessness is perpetuated; sin is walled out; the eternal moral law of God is created in his mind and heart; his personality is transformed; he is exposed to the Divine Glory for eternity. The Lord Himself always is present with him so that whoever examines the righteousness of the individual finds he is examining God Himself.

To be continued.